The kingdom of Thailand lies in the heart of Southeast Asia, making it a natural gateway to Indochina, Myanmar and Southern China. Its shape and geography divide into four natural regions: the mountains and forests of the North; the vast rice fields of the Central Plains; the semi-arid farm lands of the Northeast plateau; and the tropical islands and long coastline of the peninsula South.

TOPOGRAPHY: Thailand is divided into 4 natural regions: The mountainous North, with its profusion of multi-colored orchids, fascinating native handicrafts and winter temperatures are sufficiently cool to permit cultivation of temperate fruits such as strawberries and peaches; The high Northeast Plateau, which still jealously guards its many archaeological and anthropological mysteries; The Central Plain, one of the world's most fertile rice and fruit-growing areas with colorful traditional culture and way of life as well as the sandy beaches of the East Coast and vibrant cosmopolitan Bangkok; The peninsular South where the unspoiled beaches and idyllic islands complement economically vital tin mining, rubber cultivation and fishing.

NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES:

1) Myanmar - west and north,

2) Lao P.D.R. - north and northeast,

3) Cambodia - southeast and

4) Malaysia - south.

WEATHER

Thailand can best be described as tropical and humid for the majority of the country during most of the year. The area of Thailand north of Bangkok has a climate determined by three seasons whilst the southern peninsular region of Thailand has only two. In northern Thailand the seasons are clearly defined. Between November and May the weather is mostly dry, however this is broken up into the periods November to February and March to May. The later of these two periods has the higher relative temperatures as although the northeast monsoon does not directly affect the northern area of Thailand, it does cause cooling breezes from November to February. The southern region of Thailand really has only two seasons -- the wet and the dry. These seasons do not run at the same time on both the east and west side of the peninsular. On the west coast the southwest monsoon brings rain and often-heavy storms from April through to October, whilst on the east coast the most rain falls between September and December.

Credit Card – Visa, American Express, Diner and Master card are widely used in the country.

TRAVEL INFORMATION

It is the passengers responsibility to obtain all required travel documents, visas and permits, and for complying with the laws, regulations, orders, demands and other travel requirements of countries of origin, destination or transit. Please explore the IATA Travel Centre website : http://www.iatatravelcentre.com for more information.

V.A.T. REFUNDS

Visitors entering the Kingdom on a tourist visa are entitled to refund of the 7% V.A.T. on goods purchased at registered retail outlets.

ELECTRICITY :

220 volts, 50 cycles/sec. 2 pin plug. Adapters are available at most hardware stores and some hotel shops in the country. Or have an adapter at your packing list.

TELEVISION & INTERNET

Satellite TV, CNN and BBC are available within the country. Some of the bars generally show important sporting events. Internet cafes are the most reliable source to check e-mail as many of the hotels do not have available phone lines for their customers. The area around the ferry in Tonsai has a number of Internet cafes.

THE THAI ROYAL FAMILY

Thailand people treated with great respect, so do not make any untoward or rude remarks.

Although you won't be imprisoned for sunbathing nude, Thais find this offensive to their culture. While topless bathing is accepted in the tourist areas like Phi Phi, it can attract unwanted attention.

NOTES: THE WAI

Thais do not shake hands, they wai. The hands are placed together with the palms together in a prayer like way. Although they will often greet you in this manner, you don't need to wai a waiter, bell boy or child, but if you're meeting Thais socially, a wai will be appreciated. Shaking hands in the western way is also acceptable.

Note: There are no hospitals on Phi Phi so any serious illness should be treated in Phuket where there are first class international facilities. There is a local health centre on Phi Phi island in Tonsai Bay. Please be insured before travelling to Thailand. Check with your insurance company which hospitals they work with. Sunburn and Sunstroke are the most common health problems so take the usual precautions - strong sunblock, wear a hat and drink plenty of fluids.

GRATUITY

Tipping is considered as part of your guide’s income and depending on how satisfied you are with their service. Tipping suggestion is US$5.00 per person per day traveling with a group and US$10.00 per person per day tipping for driver and the local guide(s) by traveling in a private tour.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

It’s absolutely essential to have adequate travel insurance covered, especially for the purposes of flight cancellation, delay or any other unexpected incidental cases occurred during the trip and to enjoy the journey with a peaceful mind.

Take the travel insurance that meets your needs and understand its coverage.

YOUR TOUR ARRANGEMENTS

All land arrangements within Thailand are solely at the discretion of our land operators who control the final scheduling of sightseeing programs based on current situation of the day or period like weather, flights schedule change, traffic condition etc…….

Those situations are not under our control and cannot be held responsible for sudden changes.